Brake for metal sheet conveyor



2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 20, 1966 D. BucclcoNE BRAKE FOR METAL SHEET CONVEYOR Filed Oct. 3l, 1965 Sept 20, 1956 D. BUcclcoNE 3,273,726

BRAKE FOR METAL SHEET CONVEYOR Filed 0G11. 5l, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l INVENTOR lkzfw acc 00726,

United States Patent O 3,273,726 BRAKE FOR METAL SHEET CONVEYOR Dario Buccicone, Gary, Ind., assignor to Bucciconi Engineering Co., Inc., Gary, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Get. 31, 1963, Ser. No. 320,359 2 Claims. (Cl. 214-6) This invention relates to the handling of metal sheets and is more particularly concerned with improvements in brake mechanisms for use in retarding the movement of sheets when they are carried on an overhead magnetic conveyor and discharged onto a pile beneath the conveyor.

In the handling of metal sheets in a processing line, conveyors employing electromagnets tor holding the sheets `against the bottom faces of parallel traveling belts have heretofore been employed. Conveyors of this type are shown in my Patent Nos. 2,642,174, dated I-une 16, 1963, and 2,527,911, dated October 31, 1950. In the piling of metal sheets which are advanced to the piler box by Aan overhead conveyor of this type, it is the usual practice to control the current delivered to the electromagnets in the conveyor by suitable switching arrangements so that the magnetic force acting on the sheets may be reduced or cut off in order to permit discharge of the sheets from the conveyor. When the magnetic force acting on a sheet is discontinued by de-energizing the magnets the sheet is carried forward, due to its momentum, until a leading ed-ge strikes an end stop bumper which arrests the movement of the sheet and allows it to settle by gravity 'onto the pile in the piler box. For most sheet piling operations the end stop bumper alone operates satisfactorily to stop the forward travel of the sheet. However, in handling relatively thick sheets of considerable weight and frequently traveling -at relatively high speed, it is di'icult to stop the sheets in a. satisfactory manner with an end stop mechanism alone or with previously designed braking mechanisms because of their weight and momentum. It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide in a piling arrangement mechanism for slowing down the sheets as they are dropped from the conveyor and approach the end stop so as to lreduce the impact force sufficiently to eliminate damage to the machine or the sheets.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a sheet piler having an overhead traveling belt `conveyor with means for holding the sheets against the lower face of the lower belt runs, which conveyor advances sheets delivered thereto against an end stop for discharge into a piler box, and brake forming apparatus adapted to be mounted along the conveyor for exerting a drag on each successive .sheet as the sheet is released by de-energizing the conveyor magnets so as to red-uce the forward speed of the sheet as it approaches the end stop bumper.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a braking device .for a sheet handling conveyor of the type having traveling belts and associated electromagnets for holding the sheet against the bottom surface of the belts which braking device comprises one or more elongate rails positioned alongside of the conveyor and associated mechanism for raising and lowering the rails so as to bring the saine into engagement with the top surface of the sheet, the rails being provided with friction material on the sheet engaging 4surface which will exert a drag on the sheet and not scratch or otherwise damage the sheet.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the apparatus which is shown by Way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a longitudinal vertical section, partially schematic and with portions broken away, illustrating a ice piler apparatus which embodies therein the principal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial vertical section on a longitudinal plane taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, to an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 4 is `a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6 6 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 7 is an electrical control diagram.

Referring iirst to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is illuustrated a sheet piler arrangementwhich incorporates the present apparatus. The piler comprises a horizon-t-al sheet conveyor 10 disposed over a piler box 11. The box 11 includes a sheet supporting platform 12 and `a vertically disposed back stop plate 13 with cross roll-s 14 at the upper edge of the plate 13 which are supported on side brackets (not shown). An entry conveyor 17 is arranged with yits end support roll 18 mounted in aligned spaced relation with cross rolls 14 above an end support frame 19. The sheets S a-re delivered to the bottom run of the conveyor 10 by entry conveyor 17 with the latter receiving the sheets from a shear (not shown) or other processing apparatus.

Conveyor 10 is a rail-type which may be of the form illustrated in Patents Nos. 2,527,911 and 2,642,174. It comprises a plurality of rail units 20 each having a pair of parallel belt Imembers 21 carried at the opposite ends of an elongate frame 22 -on the end pulleys 23 and 24 with one of the pulleys, preferably pulley 24, being connected in driven relation to a motor (not shown) or other power source. A plurality of electromag-nets 25 are spaced along the bottom side of the frame 22 which exert -a magnetic force through the belt-s 21 and hold the sheets on the belts as they are advanced by forward travel of the same on the bottom of the frame 22. The rail units 20 are supported at opposite `ends on cross beams 26 and 27 which are mounted in .the end frame structures 19 and 28. The number of units 20 is determined by the width of sheet vwhich is to be conveyed. Only one oonveyor unit 20 is illustrated in FIGURE 2.

The conveyor 10 is provided with an end stop mechanism 30 which is preferably -of the type shown in my copending application Serial No. 847,956, liled October 22, 1959, now Patent No. 3,020,810, dated February 13, 1962, or in my Patent Nos. 2,821,391 and 2,938,724. The end stop mechanism or assembly 30 is mounted on a suitable support (not shown) and provides a depending sheet engaging plate member 31 having a vertically disposed face against which the leading edge of each successive sheet S is adapted to strike. The conveyor 10 also has side guide members 32 and 33 (FIGURE 2) for squaring up the 4pile of sheets S.

The `conveyor 10 has associated with it a pair ot sheet braking or slow down devices 35 which are mounted along the sides of a rail unit 20 and preferably supported on the outer vertical side faces of the frame 22 as shown in FIGURES 2, 4, 5 and 6. The brake units 35 which are shown on each side Vof the conveyor unit 20 are identical except for being rights and lets `as required for mounting on the rail unit. Each brake' unit 35 comprises two relatively long steel bars 36 and 37 (FIGURES 3 to 6) which tare arranged in parallel, longitudinally extending relation and tied together by electromagnetic core forming members 38 and bolts or screws 40, vMagnet coils 41 are carried on the core forming members 38 and electrically connected, usually in parallel. A plate 42 of stainless steel or Iother non-magnetic material is welded or otherwise secured between the bottom edges of the bars 36 Iand 37 and the bottom face of the unit thus fonmedby. the bottom face of plate 42 and the bottom edge faces of the bars 36 and 37 is covered, preferably with polyurethane material 43, vulcanized or otherwise fastened thereto. Other materials such as belting, brake lining or the like, which does not damage or mark the sheets, may be used and may be riveted or otherwise fastened in place. The bars 36 and 37 are of magnetiz- -able material so that they lare magnetized When the coils 41 are energized and the sheets are attracted through the bottom edges of these members.

Each brake unit assebly 35 4is suspended at each end by -means of a linkage 45. Each linkage 45 comprises. a bar member 46 which is formed by two vertically disposed, lat erally spaced plates 47 and 48 (FIGURE 5) connected in any desired manner so as to yform a unitary member. A pin 50 extends horizontally through an intermediate portion -of the bar member 46 and is jounnaled in vertically disposed and laterally spaced bearing forming plates 51 and 52 secured on the top edges of the plates 36 and 37. One end of the link bar 46 is pivotally supported on the end portion 53 of a pivot pin 54 which extends from the side of the conveyor fra-me 22. The end portion 53 of the pivot pin 54 is reduced in cross section and the link bar 46 is retained thereon -by washer 55 and screw 56. The pivoted end of the link bar 46 carries a stop pla-te 57 which is adaptedto be received in recesses 58 in the top edges of the plates 36 and 37 when the brake unit 35 is in the fully raised position With its bottom face spaced above the plate `carrying bottom surface of the belts 2-1 on the conveyor unit 20. At the other end of link member 46 a stop plate 60 spans the top edges of the vertical plate members 36 and `37 so Ias to limit the downward movement of the link member 46.

A vertically extending spring rod 63 is pivotally secured to the link bar 46 between the pivot .pins 50 and 54 by means 'of fthe rod eye and pin 64. The spring rod 63 extends in free sliding relation through an aperture provided in -a laterally extending plate 65 mounted on the side wall of the conveyor frame 22. A spring 66 is seated at yone end on the upper face of the plate `65 and held compressed by washer 67 4and n-ut 68 on the threaded top end of the rod 63. Tighten-ing the nut 68 will, of course, compress the spring 66 .and lift up the entire brake assembly 3S.

In the use of the apparatus the brake Iassemblies 35 are adjusted by tightening the nuts 68 at both ends of the assemblies so that when there is no sheet .passing into the system the Ibottom faces of the assemblies 35 are positioned above the bottom of the magnetic rail belts where they Will not touch the sheets.- The compression in the spring 66 in each assembly 35 -is adjusted so as to countenbalance the weight of the assembly and position it at the level desired. When a sheet S enters the machine its front edge passes under an inducto switch unit indicated at 70 in FIGURE 1, energizing the coils in the magnetic conveyor rail through the contacts M1 Aof the relay M (FIGURE 7). At this time the magnets in the bra-'ke assemblies 35 are de-energized. When the back edge of the sheet clears the inducto switch unit 70, the magnetic conveyor rail magnets are de-energized and at the same time the magnets in the brake assemblies 35 are energized through operation of the normally closed contact M2 of relay M. The brake assemblies are pulled down against the sheet because of the mass of the sheet and apply friction to the sheet which slows it down before it drops completely off the conveyor. The magnets in the brake assemblies `35 are `controlled by means of a rheostat R (FIGURE 7) so as to take care of required adjustments for various sheet thicknesses. After the sheet drops -away the brake assemblies will raise back up because of the springs 66. The system is then ready for the next sheet.

Only the simplest form Iof the apparatus and electrical control circuit therefor 4are illustrated. It may be desirable, in some cases, to use .solenoids or `air cylinders instead of the springs 66 or as a supplement to the latter. In some cases it may be desirable to time the operation by inserting time delay relays in the brake control circuit.

While particular materials and specific details of construction are referred to in describing the illustrated form of the apparatus, it will be apparent that other materials and equivalent structural details may be resorted to within the spirit of Ithe invention.

I claim:

1. In `a sheet handling mechanism, an overhead electromagnetic conveyor, means for delivering sheets to the undersurface on the loverhead conveyor for advance thereby, a movement retarding device between .the entrance :and discharge ends of Ithe overhead conveyor which device comprises an elongate bar positioned along the side of the overhead conveyor and ygenerally parallel with the sheet engaging bottom face thereof, said bar being mounted for vertical movement on Va pair of parallel links, each of said links being pivotally 'connected to said bar intermediate the ends thereof, a pivotal connection between one end of each link and a support member which is lixed relative to saidoverhead conveyor, -a hanger bar .pivotally connected to each of said links between the pivotal connections thereof with Ithe bar and the xed support member `and va resilient sliding connection between said hanger bar and said xed support ment with spaced points 0n the links to limit the vertical movement of said bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 923,020 5/ 1909 Cluxton 188-62 X 1,852,572 4/1932 Howe 18S-62 1,920,760 8/ 1933 Meyer 188-62 X 2,634,126 4/ 1953 Williams 271-46 2,880,846 4/ 1959 Schone.

3,051,479 8/ 19612 Gore. 3,172,526 5/ 1965 Buccicone 271-86 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, Examiner. 

1. IN A SHEET HANDLING MECHANISM, AN OVERHEAD ELECTROMAGNETIC CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR DELIVERING SHEETS TO THE UNDERSURFACE ON THE OVERHEAD CONVEYOR FOR ADVANCE THEREBY, A MOVEMENT RETARDING DEVICE BETWEEN THE ENTRANCE AND DISCHARGE ENDS OF THE OVERHEAD CONVEYOR WHICH DEVICE COMPRISES AN ELONGATE BAR POSITION ALONG THE SIDE OF THE OVERHEAD CONVEYOR AND GENERALLY PARALLEL WITH THE SHEET ENGAGING BOTTOM FACE THEREOF, SAID BAR BEING MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT ON A PAIR OF PARALLEL LINKS, EACH OF SAID LINKS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BAR INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, A PIVOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN ONE END OF EACH LINK AND A SUPPORT MEMBER WHICH IS FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID OVERHEAD CONVEYOR, A HANGER BAR PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID LINKS BETWEEN THE PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS THEREOF WITH THE BAR AND THE FIXED SUPPORT MEMBER AND A RESILIENT SLIDING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID HANGER BAR AND SAID FIXED SUPPORT MEMBER WHEREBY SAID BAR IS NORMALLY HELD IN AN UPPERMOST POSITION SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM FACE OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC CONVEYOR, AND ELECTROMAGNETS OPERATIVE TO PULL THE BAR DOWN AGAINST THE UPPER SURFACE OF A SHEET CARRIED ON THE OVERHEAD CONVEYOR. 